Some restaurants chase trends, and one spot on Highway 70 in Goldsboro has spent more than six decades ignoring them. Whole hogs still cook over hardwood coals on open pits here, the same way they did when the place first opened its doors in 1962.
The pitmaster does not even cook by the clock. A basket of hush puppies with a cup of chicken gravy lands on the table before most people finish reading the menu.
Families have stopped here on the way to the coast for over forty years, and some now bring their kids and grandkids along for the ride. The story includes a closing, a comeback, a smokehouse tour, and a banana pudding that has earned some serious fans.
Keep reading to learn where it is, how the pork gets chopped, and how to plan a visit that fits the schedule.
A Pit Stop on Highway 70
Road trippers heading toward the North Carolina coast know the drill. Somewhere around Goldsboro, the car seems to steer itself into a parking lot.
That lot belongs to Wilber’s Barbecue, found at 4172 US-70, Goldsboro, NC 27534, in eastern North Carolina, United States. It sits right along one of the main routes linking the inland part of the state to the beaches near Morehead City.
The restaurant is a barbecue house in the most classic sense. It serves dinners and combo plates built around pit-cooked pork, with hush puppies and the familiar staple sides of the region.
Many guests describe it as worth a slight detour. Some families make that detour every single time they head to the beach, turning a lunch stop into a running tradition.
The menu is small, and that is on purpose. The focus stays on Eastern North Carolina barbecue, the kind seasoned with a vinegar-based sauce and chopped before it ever reaches the plate.
Nothing about the place tries to look like a trendy new eatery. It looks like what it is, a long-running highway landmark that still does things the old way.
The real question is how a spot like this has lasted so long, and that story starts back in the early 1960s.
Since 1962, With One Plot Twist
Wilber Shirley opened the restaurant in 1962. His name went on the sign, and his method of cooking whole hogs over hardwood coals became the house signature.
For decades, the formula barely changed. Travelers came through, locals stayed loyal, and kids who rode along with their parents in the 1980s grew up and kept coming back.
Then came the plot twist. Wilber’s closed in 2019, and for a while it looked like a long chapter of eastern North Carolina barbecue might be finished.
A local group stepped in and brought it back. Willis Underwood, part of that group, has become a familiar face around the dining room and the pit house.
The new owners lean hard into history rather than away from it. They describe the place as PitCentric, a nod to keeping the coals of tradition going.
The goal, by their own words, is to carry on the historical significance of the Wilber’s way of cooking barbecue. That means low and slow whole hog, not shortcuts.
Plenty of old restaurants get revived and then quietly modernized until nothing original remains. This one took the opposite route, and the pit house out back proves it.
Oak, Coals, and a Pitmaster Without a Clock
Behind the dining room is where the real work happens. The owners call it the heart and soul of Wilber’s.
The process starts with split oak, delivered in bulk and stacked daily. That wood burns down into a bed of coals.
Workers then move those coals shovel by shovel into the smokehouse. Decades of cooking have darkened the brick walls inside.
The pits run in a long line, almost like a corridor. Whole hogs cook slowly over the coals, and the skin gets finished at the end so it firms up and crisps.
Here is the detail that stands out most. After overhead lights were installed in the pit house, the longtime pitmaster asked to keep them off.
He does not cook by the clock. He judges doneness by watching the drippings hit the coals, a skill that comes only from decades at the same pits.
Guests who show interest are sometimes offered a tour of the pit area. Owners and staff have walked first-timers out back to explain how everything is made, a gesture many people remember long after the meal.
So the pork arrives with a backstory, and it is one worth asking about.
Chopped Pork, Eastern Style
Eastern North Carolina has firm opinions about pork, and Wilber’s follows the rulebook closely.
The barbecue is chopped and seasoned with a vinegar-based Eastern style sauce before it is served. Pepper flecks run all through it, and all cuts of the hog go into the mix.
That approach is classic whole hog barbecue. It is why the pork shows up on the plate already sauced rather than waiting for a squeeze bottle.
One small tip for takeout orders: pulled pork sandwiches to go may not come with extra sauce on the side. Ask for it when ordering if a little more vinegar kick sounds good.
The sauce has its own following. Bottles are sold at the restaurant, and some fans leave with an entire case.
Beyond pork, the menu includes beef barbecue, turkey barbecue, fried chicken, and Pig Pickin ribs. The barbecue chicken is baked and served with gravy, as the menu explains, so read the descriptions before ordering.
There is also a skin tray, which the menu notes is unseasoned and pulled right off the pig. A bones box shows up on the menu too.
Many regulars simply call it the best barbecue in the state. That is a bold claim in North Carolina, where everyone has a favorite.
Hush Puppies Meet Chicken Gravy
Most barbecue joints make diners wait for the main event. Wilber’s opens with a warm-up act.
A basket of hush puppies arrives at the table, often before ordering is even finished. Alongside comes a cup of chicken gravy for dipping.
For a lot of first-timers, that pairing is brand new. Even folks who have eaten barbecue all over the South say they have not seen hush puppies served with gravy anywhere else.
The hush puppies lean a bit sweet. They are crisp outside and soft inside, and the gravy gives them a savory partner.
Hush puppies are the most talked-about item at the restaurant, by a wide margin. Chicken gravy is not far behind as a conversation starter.
The combo comes with meals, so nobody has to remember to order it. That small habit has turned into one of the restaurant’s calling cards.
Some guests have even suggested dunking the pork skins in the gravy. Nobody at the table is going to stop that experiment.
Pace yourself, though. The basket is only the opening chapter, and the sides still have plenty to say.
Slaw, Collards, and the Banana Pudding Fan Club
Sides at an eastern North Carolina barbecue house are never an afterthought. At Wilber’s, they nearly steal the show.
The slaw gets the most attention after the hush puppies. It is classic regional style, green cabbage chopped fine with vinegar and just enough mayo to bind it.
Collards come cooked enough to be tender without turning to mush. Potato salad is light and refreshing, and barbecue potatoes carry a mild hint of the pit.
The lineup keeps going. Fried okra, butter beans, baked sweet potato, green beans, chicken salad, baked mac and cheese, and crinkle fries all make appearances.
Not every side wins over every guest. Green beans tend to be the one people mention as plain or a touch salty.
Then there is dessert. Banana pudding has a devoted fan club, including self-described banana pudding snobs who call it the best they have ever had.
Carrot cake also earns plenty of chatter. Save some room, because skipping dessert here could be a decision worth regretting on the drive home.
Out-of-towners unfamiliar with the side dishes can lean on the servers. They are known for giving solid recommendations.
Old School Walls and Hometown Hospitality
Forget the reclaimed wood and the Edison bulbs. Wilber’s skipped the modern makeover entirely.
The dining room has a classic look and a hometown feel, with plenty of seating. Many people appreciate that it never got the fake renovation treatment.
Keep an eye on the walls. Signed pictures of airplane pilots hang there, a fun detail for anyone who likes poking around a dining room while waiting for food.
On a Saturday lunchtime, the tables fill up with what appear to be mostly locals. Travelers mix right in, and some say they felt like they knew everyone in the room.
The staff gets a lot of credit. Servers keep drinks topped off, answer questions about the menu, and sometimes send guests off with a to-go cup of sweet tea for the road.
Service can be hit or miss on busy days, as a few longtime regulars admit. Still, the overall vibe is friendly and family run.
The space is also known for being clean. A health inspection score of 98.5 has been noted in the past.
Gift shoppers can grab t-shirts, hats, and bottles of sauce on the way out.
Hours, Prices, and the Q Thru
Timing matters here, because the schedule is not a seven-day affair.
Wilber’s opens Wednesday through Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM. Sunday hours run from 11 AM to 3 PM.
Monday and Tuesday are closed. Plenty of beach-bound travelers have learned that lesson the hard way, so plan the route accordingly.
Prices typically land between $10 and $20 per person. That range covers plates, sandwiches, and combo meals.
There are several ways to order. Dine-in is the classic choice, but there is also order-ahead with curbside pickup and a drive-through the restaurant calls the Q Thru.
For family gatherings, pints of pork, turkey barbecue, slaw, and hush puppies are a popular move. Beach-weekend groups say the food reheats well over several days.
One practical tip: check takeout orders before driving off. If something is missing, the restaurant asks guests to tell a staff member so it can be fixed on the spot.
More details are available on the restaurant website, wilbersbbq.com. With the calendar sorted, all that is left is deciding how hungry to arrive.
Worth the Detour
Some restaurants get remembered for a single meal. Wilber’s gets remembered across generations.
People who stopped here with a parent on the way to deep sea fishing in the 1980s still make plans to return. Others have been coming for more than 40 years.
New traditions keep forming too. Families picking up food for beach weekends say it is becoming their go-to stop.
Is it perfect? Not every entree wins every guest, and the menu stays small by design.
One honest take sums it up well: worth a stop, though maybe not a whole weekend plan.
Still, the core experience is hard to find anywhere else. Whole hogs cook over oak coals, a pitmaster reads the drippings instead of a timer, and hush puppies arrive with chicken gravy.
The comeback after 2019 makes the story even better. A group of locals decided this piece of eastern North Carolina history should keep going, and they built the whole operation around the pit.
For barbecue lovers driving Highway 70, it makes sense to set aside an hour. Ask about the pit house, order the banana pudding, and leave with a bottle of sauce.
Since 1962, the coals have kept glowing in Goldsboro, and the chopping has not stopped.
Enjoyed this story?
Add Fast Food Club as a preferred source to see more of our reporting on Google.